As the clock ticked past midnight and ample fireworks were sent up into the night sky, it marked the end of 2025. A terrific year for Premier League football – from the unpredictable to the straight-up bonkers – has also come to a close and the folks over at WhoScored have provided the highest-rated XI from the start of 2025 to its closure.
Arne Slot's Liverpool won the 2024/25 Premier League at a canter, but they've struggled to find any semblance of form since the start of 2025/26, while Arsenal, managed by one of the best in Mikel Arteta, have been there or thereabouts at the top of England's primary division throughout the entirety of 2025.
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As we enter the business end of the current campaign, fans are beginning to formulate an idea of which players are performing at a superior rate compared to others. But who deserves to make the Team of the Year throughout 2025? As mentioned, we've entrusted the help of WhoScored to figure out an XI of the Premier League's highest-rated players across the year.
Goalkeeper and Defenders
By virtue of the fact that Arteta's Arsenal – who are looking to end their Premier League drought again this season – have the best defensive record, one would assume they'd have at least one defender here... but they don't. A one-time World Cup winner with Argentina, Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa, who was linked with a move to Old Trafford in the summer, is in between the sticks with a rating of 6.85.
Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz has emerged as one of the best defenders in the Premier League after helping guide Oliver Glasner's side to FA Cup glory last term. They beat Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley and the Colombian was up and down the right flank like it was going out of fashion and that has been the case throughout 2025. On the opposite side is Manchester City star Josko Gvardiol.
Virgil van Dijk, inevitably, takes up one of the cenre-back spots for his starring role in Liverpool's 2024/25 Premier League triumph, which saw Dutchman Arne Slot become the fifth manager to win the title in their maiden campaign. His compatriot, Van Dijk, was central to their success and has been issued a rating of 7.05.
On the other half of Merseyside, there's James Tarkowski – who has been on Everton's books since the summer of 2022 – with a rating across 2025 of 7.18, making him the second-highest rated defender across that period in England's top division. A defensive mainstay under David Moyes, the twice-capped England international is understandably one of the first names on the team sheet.
Goalkeepers and Defenders
Position
GK
RB
CB
CB
LB
Midfielders
Although no Arsenal player was rated highly enough to be included in WhoScored's defensive ranks, that is not the case in the engine room, as Declan Rice – who moved from West Ham United in the summer of 2023 – has been an insane box-to-box operator in the middle. A technician, too, the Englishman has been pivotal to Arteta and company in their pursuit of a league title and his combination of driving runs into the final third and defensive know-how make him one of the world's most complete footballers.
Under the stewardship of Ruben Amorim, Amad's best position is still unknown. Many believe that his attitude to work hard means the youngster is primed for the wing-back role, though others are under the impression that he is better suited to playing alongside a striker in one of United's No.10 spots.
Irrespective of where the Ivorian has played, he's rarely missed a beat throughout 2025, according to those over at WhoScored – and his overall rating of 7.20 means the likes of Moises Caicedo, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexis Mac Allister all have to settle for a place in the reserves.
Where would Manchester United be without the creative tendencies of their skipper, Bruno Fernandes? The Portugal international concludes a rather talented midfield trio of Premier League stars – and he'd be relied upon for his unfathomable chance creation rate. Provided with a rating of 7.39, the goalscoring prowess of the 31-year-old would be bitterly missed by the Old Trafford faithful, as would his willingness to dot around the engine room, breaking up play and springing forward-thinking attacks of his own.
Midfielders
Position
CM
CM
CM
Forwards
Set for a January transfer, most likely to Manchester City, Antoine Semenyo has been one of – if not the – best players on Bournemouth's books in recent years. Capable of playing anywhere across a front line, the Ghanaian has notched eight years and three assists in 16 matches since the start of 2025/26 and his defensive output also doesn't go under the radar, with him being one of the best wingers in the Premier League as things stand.
Through the middle and it's no surprise to see Erling Haaland rack up the highest rating throughout 2025 and, in that period, Norway's chief goal-getter became the fastest player to reach 100 goals in the Premier League (in 111 matches). By his own standards, 2024/25 wasn't Haaland's finest season in City colours, but he's back to firing on all cylinders in 2025/26... something that was expected of the perennial record breaker.
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From one of Pep Guardiola's biggest stars to another, Jeremy Doku – widely regarded as one of the best wingers in world football – takes up the left wing berth with a rating of 7.29. In the seemingly robotic nature of Guardiola-ball, the Belgian offers something different on the flank: a desire to run at a man to create chaos in the penalty area. His end product needs some fine-tuning, of course, but he is up there as one of the best.
Forwards
Position
RW
ST
LW